The Rocket Tee

Some manufacturers are betting so. And while alternative tees have been around for a while, they've been viewed as a novelty more than a true game improvement tool. These tees may not result in a dramatic difference, but they can be an inexpensive way to make subtle improvements to your game.

The Rocket Tee (www.rockettee.com) promises more penetrating drives that have more carry and roll for increased yardage. The tip of the tee is firm but the polymer body is flexible, and the rim that the ball sits on is much thinner than traditional tees for less friction when hit. Inventor Tony DeSmit, an Ohio native, spent about a year developing the tee before introducing it to the market in 2005, and it's taken a couple of years to pick up interest.

The length of the tee -- complete with a colored band that shows you exactly how high to tee it up - promotes a higher ball flight and lower spin rate. In theory, this also means less side-spin and fewer slices or hooks.

One area where the tees have a noticeable advantage over wood tees is in their durability. Rocket Tees are supposed to last as long as 100 wood tees but have some flexibility, so they don't fly forward from the tee.

Rocket Tees can be purchased in red or blue varieties, differentiated by the colored band and how far that band is above the ground. The red tee puts the ball 1.75 inches high while the blue puts it 1.5 inches high. Experiment with a trial pack with two of each for $4.85 or see the rockettee.com web site for information on which tee goes best with the most popular drivers on the market.

Brush-Ts

Another alternative tee you may have seen is Brush-T, which has a plastic base with bristles that support the ball.

The Brush-T, created by Jason Crouse, accomplishes many of the same goals by being durable, showing you exactly how high to tee the ball and improving distance and accuracy by reducing the deflection of energy to the tee. The company's studies show that distance will increase by 3.2 to 7 yards.

Another great benefit to the Brush-T: It stays put. You can put one in the ground and hit several balls without having to re-situate it each time. Golfers with more consistent swings will probably get the most out of the Brush-T, as wilder chops at the ball can break the tees after a while.

Brush-Ts are available in four sizes. Blue is for fairway woods; black is for drivers; orange is for oversize drivers and yellow is for huge drivers. The yellow also has another row of bristles for added stability.

Rip Tips

A three-pack of Brush-Ts costs about $6 for the standard version and $8 for the extra-long, yellow version. Sample packs with one of each are about $10. If you prefer white to the bright colors, they are available at www.brushtees.com.

Rip Tips employ the same basic idea as the Brush-T, but it is just the bristled head part of the tee and will attach to any regular wood tee. Unlike the Brush-T, Rip Tips use just three groups of bristles to further reduce surface contact with the ball. In order to stay below the USGA maximum of a 4-inch tee, the manufacturer suggests you use a 3-3/8 inch tee or less to compensate for the added height of the tip.

The benefit to Rip Tips is that you can position the tee at any height you want. So if you don't like the Brush-T's set height, this might work for you. However, removing the tip from a broken tee and installing it on a new tee may be simple but it's still a hassle.

Launcher Tees

Order 15 Rip Tips for $17.95. See more at www.riptips.com.

The Launcher Tee is somewhat more traditional, but is made of a composite plastic with a platform that's a third smaller than a regular wooden tee. This reduced ball nest area reduces friction on the ball when hit and results in a bit more distance.

In robot tests conducted at Golf Laboratories, the Launcher Tee produced a higher trajectory, increased flight time and about 4 additional yards of carry and 3.75 additional yards of roll as compared to a wooden tee. Spin was an average of 362 RPMs less with the Launcher Tee, too.

A package with four Launcher Tees costs $7.40, plus $1 shipping at the company's www.tee-guard.com website.

Ti-Tees are designed for titanium drivers, and have two parts connected with a stainless steel recessed pin. When the ball is hit, the top of the tee pivots forward and releases so there is no friction and less spin.

The manufacturers claim that even a pronged or bristled tee is stationary even though it produces less friction. With the entire tee pivoting away as you hit, there should be even less friction and less spin imparted from the tee.

A pack of two runs about $8.

My Lucky Tees

How about the ProSpring tee? It's a plastic tee that is spring-loaded, so it provides little resistance when you hit and comes back together immediately so you don't have to reconnect two pieces.

The distributor, My Lucky Tee (www.myluckytee.com) has other spring-loaded tees that work on similar principles, plus a MagTee that is held together by a magnet. When you hit, the tee separates into two pieces and the magnet brings them back together.

These specialty tees cost $4-$5 each and last about 18 rounds.